August 25, 2010
Women's Soccer Season Outlook
The Saints welcome 11 new players to the roster this season. "As we progress through the transition to DII, we need to bring in a different student-athlete than in years past due to the level that our new conference plays at," said Delabar. "So far in the first week of the season, the newcomers are challenging the returners which in turn makes everyone work harder and makes for a better situation for the program."
Last year, the women's soccer team finished tied for 11th in the 15-team field, which marked the best finish of Maryville's 13 teams in the first year of GLVC play. "I think we snuck up on some people last season, as some of them wrote us off as being the new kids on the block," said Delabar. 'We showed that we belong and that we have a rightful place in this conference.
"This year, we don't just want to compete, we want to win," he continued. "To finish within the top eight in the standings which would allow us to qualify for the conference tournament if we could qualify, is something that is a realistic goal for us. We want to build on last year's success and our opponents will have to be even more prepared."
There are 15 returners from last year's squad that finished 5-11-1 (4-9-1 GLVC) and Delabar has been impressed with the results of their off-season, spring and summer training. "(The returners) have put in a good, solid off-season of getting stronger and fitter as we haven't had to work on strictly fitness during practice, as we're accomplishing fitness within the constraints of our practices," he said.
"This speaks volumes for the work they did in the off-season as they've really bought into what we want and where we want our program to go," continued Delabar. "The returners have gotten a bite of what they need to do for us to compete in the conference and everyone is going to have to step up as it's all about putting the best 11 players on the field and trying to compete."
There is a large hole at the center back position with the graduation of Lauren Dieckmann, a four-year starter and Maryville's first All-GLVC selection (defense, 2009.) "We're not going to be able to replace a player like Diecks, but with Britta Orso, Sam Poteet, Tomi Benney and Kristen Scherer returning along with some quality newcomers, the defense should be solid once again this year," commented Delabar.
Competition will continue to be strong in the GLVC as two teams were ranked in the NSCAA Top 25 preseason poll, released Aug. 10. Northern Kentucky earned the No. 9 spot and Quincy took the No. 23 position.
"The exciting part of being in the GLVC is that it's one of the premier women's soccer DII conferences in the country and that it's a challenge every time out on the field," said Delabar. "From last season, I think we've already established some rivalries, especially with our opponents in close proximity, UMSL, Illinois-Springfield and Quincy. Where we finished last year was a pleasant surprise as we didn't know we'd finish as well as we did an now we're greedy. The goal of making the conference tournament is an attainable goal, something that we nearly accomplished last year."
Maryville plays Southwest Illinois College (SWIC) in a scrimmage on Aug. 21 and Lindenwood in an exhibition game on Aug. 28 before it opens the season Friday, Sept. 3 on the road against Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. at 5 p.m.
Contact: KatieJo Kuhens, SID
